by Tina Reber
“Erin Novak—” I enjoyed watching her private smile when her phone rang in her hand. “My phone, my rules.”
“Fine. Be that way.” She bumped into me. “S-e-x-y C-o-p,” she spelled, leaning on me while she did it.
I set my cell down. “You done?”
“Why? You going to ten fifteen me now?”
I slipped the phone out of her hand and pulled her between my thighs, needing to kiss her in the worst way. My hands were in her hair again, my tongue riding hers on a newfound high. I swear my cock felt like it was Christmas, too. “I like that idea.” I locked her in my arms. “Prisoner in custody. Mine.”
She giggled at first and then pulled back. “I may need a ten twenty too.”
She followed my glance around. “You’re in my kitchen, although I think we should move our location back to my bedroom. I have more ten codes I can teach you.” I squeezed her luscious ass.
“Now you’re just making shit up.”
“You dare doubt an officer of the law?”
My doorbell rang, not once but twice, surprising the heck out of me and rudely interrupting my plans. Who the fuck would be at my door on a Sunday? I hoped to hell it wasn’t some ballsy fans of the show coming to get their eyeful.
Just as I completed that thought, the person outside started banging on my door. One glance out my front window was all it took to see whose car was parked in the driveway behind Erin’s.
Fuck.
“Erin, come with me.” More knocking came from the impatient bitch outside. I towed Erin up the steps to my bedroom.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
I tossed her jeans over to her and pulled mine up.
“Adam?” Erin asked again, yanking her jeans up.
I grabbed the green tee Erin wore the other day, still smelling her scent on it, giving me strength to go deal with the bullshit banging on my door.
I also grabbed my Glock and holstered it in the back of my jeans.
Erin froze. “Adam, what’s going on? Tell me right now.”
I took a deep breath. “Nikki’s at my door.”
“Nikki?” she questioned.
“My ex.”
Erin snagged my arm; both of us slightly distracted by the continuous banging. “You need a gun to answer your door?”
I held her face in my hand. “Things got ugly between us. I have no idea why she is here but I will not be caught off guard. Not while I’m in my own fucking house.”
The doorbell rang again and again.
“Stay here. I’m going to see what she wants and get rid of her.” I kissed Erin softly. “I won’t let this ruin our day. I promise. She’s history. Okay?”
Erin nodded; her eyes were wide and showing fear. “Is that tampon girl?”
It hurt just having to answer that. It hurt worse seeing her so scared. “Yes. I’m going to fix that, too.” I held her gaze so she’d see how serious I was. “Stay here, babe. I’ll be right back. You copy?”
I nodded. “I copy.”
I hoped to hell she’d stay upstairs, but my gut was telling me she wouldn’t.
Nikki was calling out my name with each thud of her fist.
It was time to bury some old ghosts once and for all.
THE FACT THAT Adam armed himself to go answer his front door was beyond unsettling. Knowing it was his ex-girlfriend pounding on his door and that he felt he needed to be armed was downright incomprehensible.
Even though he told me to stay in his bedroom, curiosity and concern had me sneaking to the top of the stairs, but not before I snagged Adam’s hammer from the pile of tools in the spare bedroom. I stopped on the third step down with hammer in hand—well within hearing distance but out of sight. Any farther and she’d be able to see me through the wooden railing.
I had no idea what this woman could be capable of. Adam armed himself, but I still felt the need to be able to defend him.
“What do you want?” Adam asked brusquely.
“I need to talk to you,” the female voice replied, a hint of an urgent plea etching her voice. “Please.”
Great. She’s playing on his sympathy, sounding desperate.
“You alone?”
“Of course,” she insisted.
Italian, maybe? Definitely a South Philly-accented attitude.
“You have two minutes, then I’m closing this door.”
“Can I at least come in? It’s freezing out here.”
The hinges creaked and then the front door shut, echoing the change of pressure throughout the house. I tried to see their reflection in the glass on the large print of whitetail deer Adam had hanging on the downstairs wall, wanting to know what she looked like in the worst way.
“Were you sleeping?” Nikki asked, straining to hide her annoyance.
He sighed. “No.”
“Then why did it take you so long to answer?”
I could hear him draw in an impatient breath through his nose. “I was busy.”
“Oh. Is someone here?”
“What do you want? Why are you here?”
“Whose car is in the driveway?”
Adam didn’t answer.
“What, did you get another new car or something? It’s okay. You can tell me.” She chuckled. “Looks expensive. Must be nice. I mean, things must be going really good for you.”
What a…! Could you be any more condescending?
“It belongs to a friend. You’ve got one minute.”
“Jeez, Adam. Chill.”
“Nikki, I got shit to do. Get to the fucking point.”
“Wow. Can’t you even be civil to me anymore? It would be nice to be able to talk to you without you biting my head off.”
I heard him groan.
“How have you been? You look really good. I mean, you look great.”
I craned my neck, trying to hear them better.
“Time is ticking,” he said flatly. “You gonna get to the point of this visit anytime soon?”
She let out a long sigh. “Can’t we just talk, you know, like we used to?”
“Why? I’ve said everything I needed to say to you a long time ago. There’s nothing left to talk about.”
“I thought maybe we could try again. Come on. Please? I miss you so much.”
“Don’t start.”
“Four years, baby.”
“I’m warning you, Nikl, do not start this shit with me.”
“I made a mistake. A terrible mistake. Please! I was scared and confused and I didn’t know what to do. Half the time I tried to talk to you, you were either too drunk or too tired to be bothered. What did you expect me to do?”
“Jesus. I expected you to fucking talk to me instead of lying to my face. That’s what I expected.”
“I know and I’m sorry. Please, please don’t throw away everything we had. I know in your heart you still love me. I know you do.”
We both waited for an answer that didn’t come. I felt my heart sink and twist.
“God, how many times do I have to tell you I’m sorry before you forgive me?”
“I don’t have time for this. We’ve been through this shit already.”
“I know, but—”
“But nothing. How many times do we have to keep rehashing this shit? Huh? You need to get it in your head. I’m done! It’s over!”
I shifted, becoming uncomfortable hearing them argue.
“Don’t say that. Please. I thought if I gave you some time… I thought you said we could try again?”
“When the hell did I say that?”
“On the phone last week. You said that you’d talk to me later, or was that just bullshit?”
I could hear him getting frustrated.
“Nikki, I’m… you need to get this straight, okay? What you and I had is done. It’s gone. You killed that, not me. I’ve put it behind me. I suggest you do the same. You need to move on, all right?”
“Is that what you’ve done? I’m sorry, but I’m having a hard time doing that.
I can’t erase all the years we were together as if they meant nothing. I thought since you’re sober now we could try again. I promise I’ll be different. I swear. Don’t you remember all of the promises we made to each other? All the fun we used to have? Making love to each other?”
“That was before you went and made decisions without me,” he growled.
“You telling me you don’t miss anything? That after everything we’ve been through, you don’t love me anymore? You think you’re going to find another woman who will put up with you drowning your sorrows in beer and whiskey while sitting here night after night all alone?”
“Do not throw that in my face. I’ve apologized too many times. And I worked nights before we met. You knew what you were getting into.”
“Yeah, that’s right. I did. But maybe if you’d just try to get on day shift a few times. For me. Is that too much to ask?”
“Why are we even having this conversation again?”
I heard her footsteps crossing his hardwood floor. “I miss you, Adam. So much.”
“No, Nikki. No. This is not gonna happen. You’re wasting your time so just stop.”
“You think you’ll find another woman who will stand by you like I did? Brush your ego like I did?”
“Brush my ego?”
“Yeah, you know,” she kidded, placating him, “playing your stupid kinky games with your rope and shit?”
“You’re unbelievable. You call what you did to me standing by me? You fucked me over in every possible way every chance you had. I came home from work and found my entire fucking house emptied out!”
“You told me you wanted me out, so I left,” Nikki retorted like an insolent child.
“You, not all my stuff. You. Took. Everything. Even the food out of the fucking refrigerator!”
“You knew I had no money when you kicked me out.”
“And that justified… You know what, it doesn’t matter anymore. I’m done with this.”
“Hey, I had just as much of a hard time dealing with things as you did. But did you give me your understanding and forgiveness? No, you didn’t. I did what you wanted me to, Adam!”
“You don’t get it. I’m a cop and on top of everything else, on top of everything you pulled, you brought drugs into my house.”
“It was one time!”
“Bullshit. Do not stand here and lie to my face. Instead of looking for another job you spent your days getting high. You knew after Tommy’s death that I was under investigation and still you brought that shit into my house. Christ. I’m glad you went to that butcher. Fucking relieved. Showed me your true colors and saved me a lifetime of misery.”
“Oh, but getting drunk and strapping a gun on your hip is okay?”
“Was it even mine?”
“You know the answer to that,” she groaned.
“Do I? Never once did I stray on you. Never once. Can you look me in the eyes and say the same?”
The silence stretched.
“Just what I thought,” Adam snapped. “Listen, I’m not playing this game with you anymore. I haven’t touched a drop in months, so that too is behind me. You made your decisions. I’ve made mine. You need to move on.”
His voice was low, tight. Definitely trying to send a message.
I heard her sniff. “What about the wedding?”
My heart clenched just hearing that word. Oh my God. Were they engaged to be married?
“What about it?”
“I thought you would call me. You told Jesse to mark down two people.”
“I have a date.”
“Oh really? You’re taking a stranger to Ellie’s wedding?”
Her contempt was more than apparent.
“All of our friends will be there, Adam. What am I supposed to do? Not show up?”
“Christ. They’re not your friends.”
“Ellie is, and she invited me to her wedding.”
“Good for you.”
“Can’t we just try again? Please? We both made mistakes. I promise things will be different.”
Adam snorted.
“You need me, Adam. Cancel your date. Let me show you how much you still want me. I bet your cock misses me.”
Her pleading with him was wearing down my resolve. Hearing that he had a date planned with someone else made my throat burn. I wondered if he even knew I was standing here listening.
My car keys were in his bedroom. My coat and car were in the opposite direction. My right foot was on one step, my left foot on another. I didn’t know which way to go.
“You’re delusional,” Adam said, huffing. “Don’t fucking touch me.”
“Why? Is someone upstairs?” Nikki asked, her voice seeming to get closer. “Do you have someone up there?”
I darted into the first bedroom on the tips of my toes and shrank into the wall, unable to keep the floor from creaking under my wake.
I heard the front door open. “It’s time for you to leave.”
“Whose car is out there?”
“Nikki, leave.”
“Not until you tell me whose fucking car is out there!”
“It’s none of your business. Leave,” he ordered.
“You have some whore in my bedroom?”
“That’s it.” Something banged into the wall.
“Ow! Let go of my arm. Adam, let go. You’re hurting me,” she shrieked. “Come down here! Show your face, whore. I want to see what you look like.”
“I asked you nicely, now I’m showing you out.” They both cursed and then something crashed and shattered to the floor. “Nikki! Jesus Christ!”
“Come down here, you skanky bitch! Show your face! He’ll never love you. You hear me, bitch? Never. I’ll fucking kill you.”
My heart was racing, knowing they were having a physical scuffle. She was cursing at him something fierce until the front door slammed. Both of them were still arguing, though their voices were muffled and distant outside.
I scrambled back to his bedroom and paced. Then I sat on his bed and waited, unsure of where to go from here. I wanted to leave. A big part of me wanted to stay. My heart wanted to fall in love with the man who I woke up with a few hours ago and who made me eggs and bacon and kissed me sweetly and made love to me so many times I’d lost count.
His ex-girlfriend, however, was too much drama for me.
She was the scary sort of drama kind of girl.
The front door open and closed again. Adam’s feet pounded up the steps and then his bedroom door opened wide. He stopped in front of me and dropped to one knee.
“Erin.” His hands landed on my knees. “Doc, look at me.”
Too much drama.
His eyes were solemn and crinkled with concern. “Sorry you had to hear all of that. You okay?”
I wasn’t sure how I was feeling actually so I just said, “I’m fine.”
He chuckled. “I told you once before that if you ever tell me you’re fine I get to call you on it. Talk to me. You have questions, I can tell. I can see it.”
“You still love her?”
His head started shaking immediately. “No, I do not.”
“You sure?”
“Positive.”
“She cleaned out your house?”
Adam nodded. “She took everything, even the butter and fucking ketchup. Told you the bed was new.”
How a woman could do that to someone was almost too much to comprehend.
“Except she left her tampons behind.”
His eyes closed for a moment. “All that shit is going in the garbage. I swear. I don’t want any of it touching you.” His head tilted. “If I let go of your knees, are you going to run?”
I couldn’t tell if he was serious or if he was joking, until it registered how truly scared he looked.
“I’m sorry you had to hear that. I’m sure it wasn’t easy for you.”
“It wasn’t.”
I leaned back when he tried to kiss me.
His broad shoulders slumped. “Doc�
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I held up my index finger. “I like you—a lot. I do. But I’ve got a lot going on in my life right now and I can’t afford to be derailed by crazy drama and a broken heart. If you’re seeing other people, you have to tell me right now.”
Adam’s face twisted up. “What?”
I hated being taken for a fool. “I heard everything. Sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop but I was worried when you strapped a gun to the back of your pants.”
“Is that why there’s a hammer on the floor here?”
I nodded.
He took a deep breath, picked it up, and then tossed it gently aside. I wanted to follow the hammer out into the hallway, hating confrontations of any kind.
I tried to calm myself, glancing at the wrinkled sheets.
Adam laughed to himself. “Amazing. The woman I don’t want to be with is banging my door down while the one woman I do want is always ready to run away. That’s why I’m holding your legs, in case you’re wondering.”
I couldn’t help but smile at him.
“I’m only seeing one woman,” he said, swaying me with his killer smile, “and she’s right in front of me.”
It was nice to be able to almost breathe again… Still, words were just words. “You told your ex that you had a date planned. I don’t want to get tangled up if you’re dating other women, Adam. Seriously. I’m not interested in standing in a line or getting jerked around.”
Adam glanced up at me, squinting one eye. “One of the guys in my unit is getting married in two weeks. I’m hoping you’ll be able to go with me. I was going to ask you about it today over breakfast, but we were interrupted.”
My spirit instantly warmed.
“No one else, Erin,” he stated, his voice deep and raspy but unmistakably stern. “We do this, it’s just you and me seeing where this goes. I don’t share and I don’t roam. We clear?”
I put my hand over his, taking in the severity of his tone, my mind veering off his serious expression to unwanted visions of Randy and his excess roaming. No matter how attractive Adam was on the outside, he needed to deliver a lot more than a few well-intended words and outstanding orgasms to get my whole heart. Until then, I was keeping myself well guarded.
“We clear?” he asked again.
“We’re clear.”